I need help from my bloggy friends...I am DETERMINED to get organized and DEcluttered in 2011...
I am NOT a filer, I AM a piler...
That being said,
How do you organize your bills??
I end up with random piles in random places...
With this bank account high jacking, I have learned,
it would be nice to have my bills/statements
in ONE spot easy to find...
Any tips??...
10 comments:
I am NOT a filer, I AM a piler...
I LOVE that! It describes me perfectly. I may frame that and hang it over my desk....
I'm BOTH! I have a 2 drawer file cabinet next to my desk (my printer sits on top). The top drawer is the pile drawer and the bottom drawer has the files. I don't file each bill as it comes (although I wish I would), so at least my pile is tucked away until I set aside a night to watch a movie and file. Good luck!!!
I am definitely the "Piler" which is why I leave the bills to my sweet hubby.
He is a "Filer and does a fabulous job. He has a file in the cabinet for Bills, House expenses, Taxes, etc. On the desk he has a divider that has the most recent statements. When they are paid, they go into the manilla file in the cabinet. He also does a lot of e-payments to cut down on the paper. Hope that helps.
Hi Jenny. So sorry about what happened with the bank. That could happen to any of us. Organizing bills is definitely my area. I have tried out so many different systems...but the one I currently use seems to work pretty well. I have a binder and in that binder I have 2 folders and a set of tabs with the months of the year on them. The first folder is where I put my bills. The second folder is where I move my bills temporarily after they've been paid. (Later I file those bills in folders.) Then, in the months of the year tabs, I print out each calendar month and put it behind it's respective tab (Jan. calendar page goes behind the tab marked "January". Then I write down on the calendar when to pay each bill, BUT (here's the important part)I don't write down the bill on the exact day it's due, I write down to pay the bill at least 1 week before it's due. So if phone bill is due on 1/12, then I write it down on the calendar on 1/6. My husband gets paid every Friday, so I usually pay all my bills on Fridays, so all my bills are written on the Fridays before they are due. Does this make sense? I use a binder system because it's portable. Sometimes I pay bills when I'm at work. Also, about half my bills are auto pay or paid online so that makes things easy. Good luck!
I'm usually pretty organized EXCEPT when it comes to paper.
I would suggest checking out A Bowl Full of Lemons (http://abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com). It's awesome! She has a nice mobile command center for all her paper work PLUS she is hosting a 21 days To Get Organized Challenge.
:-)
Hi Jen!! Happy New Year my friend! :-D
In the posting I did about reviewing the new Smead file folders, I showed a picture of my "bills and important paper work" file drawer. Hopefully, if you click on the picture, you'll be able to make out the file labels. If not, let me know and I'll type them out on here for you. This was the posting: http://thebzhousethatlovebuilt.blogspot.com/2010/10/i-like-packages-contents.html
In one of the front file folders, I keep a "bill book". It's just a simple 4 x 6 inch notebook. On the top of the page, I write the name of the month. Under that I start listing all of our bills, each on a separate line. So-o-o, the top line reads - House payment. Then it's car insurance. Then electric bill, phone bill, gas bill, water bill. The charge card and loan bills are the next two lines. After them come any current medical bills.
When a bill comes in the mail, I open it, put the envelope it came in in the recycle bin, pull out the bill notebook and write the amount down on that bills line, and then file the bill away in the right file in the file drawer (a plastic tote would work great too).
At the beginning of the year, I save the envelope that bill comes in, on the top of the outside, I record the toll free number for phoning in payments.
As the year progresses, I file each new statement for that particular company in that envelope, always putting the newest one in front. That way, they are easy to find if you need to reference them for something latter in the year.
Once I do pay the bill, I record it as paid in the bill notebook, and record the amount paid, the date, and either the check number or the phoned in confirmation number, across or near the top of the bill.
There is a basket in our front entry which is designated for mail, so that who ever grabs it that day has a specific place to put it so I can find it!!! When I go through it, all "junk mail" gets processed first. Anything with our name and address gets shredded. Anything else, gets put in the recycle bag. I then handle any personal mail (never enough of that!!!), then I take the basket in and file the bill parts, or, wait till I have more time, but leave them in the basket till I do.
Hope all of this both makes sense, and that you find it helpful.
I pay bills every two weeks - on my hubby's paydays.
We use the free on-line bill pay through our bank. Once I get the confirmation page - showing what I have just entered into the system.
I use that as a cover sheet and put the paid bills behind it in alphabetical order. Then I scan them into my computer. I have a "Bills Paid" folder which then has a sub-folder for each month.
At the end of the year I can just burn the information to a CD and delete the files. I always make 2 CD's. One is kept @ home and the other goes to work with my husband. That way, if we have a house disaster, my husband has a copy of everything at work. We do this with pictures too.
Like I told you on Facebook, I set all mine to auto pay either through their own website or my bank and write the dates in my planner so I know when the money is coming out. I try and schedule them early so if there is an emergency, I can push back the date a little to compensate. I REALLY love Sheri's idea! I think I am going to do that. Look at this cute thing you can make for filing... http://justsomethingimade.com/2010/04/ziploc%C2%AE-bag-organizer-tote/
I didn't read the other comments, so I am not sure I am repeating others, but I am also a piler---however we are self employed and I am learning a few new habits.
I have a drawer in my desk where I put all my bills (after paid-before I pay them I put them on the top of my desk or printer so I don't forget them!), receits, and other important papers that I need. Then every three months I go through and organize them. I seperate them according to month and then put put each month into a manilla evelope that is labeled with the month. I then put them back in the drawer (or you can use a tote). Since I pile, when I clean my piles I know where my bills go without having to sort or organize them right then. Hope that helps.
i use a binder with dividers with pockets to house bills. i toss the old when the new come in.
i also use quicken linked to my bank account to keep record of monthly budgets.
it's easy. and i need easy or i won't do it.
good luck!
Post a Comment